Kaily
A feminine name of English origin meaning "slender" or "joyful".
Name Census estimates that about 2,484 living Americans carry the first name Kaily. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaily today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaily births was 2010 (126 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaily. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kaily with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 137,985 Americans
Peak year
2010
126 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,091
Tracked since 1983
Census
Kaily in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,250 people with the first name Kaily, which placed it at #6,947 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,947
National first-name rank
People counted
2.3K
2,250 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
47.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaily
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaily is Hispanic at 47.1%. The next largest groups are White (41.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kaily described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kaily at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino47.1% · 1,059
- White41.1% · 925
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 102
- Two or more races3.6% · 80
- Black or African American2.7% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 24
Popularity
Kaily: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaily from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 855 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaily by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kaily during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kailys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Kaily, while Washington, Virginia, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 73 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaily
The name Kaily is believed to have originated from the Scottish Gaelic language, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Irish word "cailli," which means "slender" or "graceful." This name was initially used to describe a person's physical appearance, particularly a slender or graceful figure.
In the early days, the name Kaily was primarily found in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands region. It was commonly used among clans and families with Celtic heritage. Over time, the name spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other regions as people migrated and settled in different parts of the world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaily can be found in the Scottish historical records from the 15th century. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Caillie" or "Cailye." However, the spelling and pronunciation evolved over time, leading to the modern form of "Kaily."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kaily. One of the earliest known figures was Kaily MacLeod (1520-1585), a Scottish chieftain and warrior from the Isle of Skye. She played a significant role in defending her clan's lands during the turbulent times of the Scottish clan wars.
Another prominent figure was Kaily Campbell (1650-1718), a Scottish noblewoman and philanthropist. She was known for her charitable work and her efforts in supporting education and healthcare initiatives in her community.
In the 19th century, Kaily Bremner (1810-1892) was a Scottish artist and painter renowned for her landscape and portrait works. Her paintings captured the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and were widely appreciated during her lifetime.
Moving to the 20th century, Kaily Macdonald (1920-2005) was a Scottish politician and activist. She was a strong advocate for women's rights and played a pivotal role in advancing gender equality in Scotland.
More recently, Kaily Forsyth (born 1978) is a Scottish singer-songwriter known for her unique blend of traditional and contemporary folk music. Her songs often explore themes of love, loss, and the beauty of the Scottish landscape.
While the name Kaily may not be as common today as it was in the past, it continues to hold a special place in Scottish heritage and culture. Its origins and historical significance make it a unique and meaningful name that reflects the rich traditions of the Scottish Highlands.
People
Kaily + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaily as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaily: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaily?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,484 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaily going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 137,985 US residents.
Is Kaily a common name?
We classify Kaily as "Rare". It ranks above 94.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,525 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaily most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaily was 2010, when 126 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaily is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kaily in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,250 people with the name Kaily, or 0.74 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,947 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kaily in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kaily?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kaily appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,250 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kaily?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaily is Hispanic at 47.1%. The next largest groups are White (41.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kaily most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Kaily in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (1,059 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kaily in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaily a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaily in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kaily still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaily in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kaily can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Kaily?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.